Black pr professionals to host conference and career fair

Milwaukee, Wis. – Against a backdrop of job loss and public relations agency business declines, the National Black Public Relations Society (NBPRS) seeks to stimulate job growth and encourage new business development for members of its industry. The organization hosts its 2011 NBPRS Conference and Career Fair, Oct. 27 – 30, in Milwaukee at the InterContinental Milwaukee Hotel.

“The economy has been hard on everyone and many in our membership have been among those hardest hit. The NBPRS Conference and Career Fair will provide timely support, networking, job opportunities and professional development programming to help meet the needs of our member network,” said national NBPRS President Wynona Redmond.

“Thus, we will caucus around employment, career transitions, new business development and the importance of diversity in major corporations and PR firms,” she said.

The NBPRS Conference theme is The Network @ Work: Managing Transitions, Techniques and Technology for Career and Business Success. The four-day event will include career coaching, resume critiques and meetings with potential employers to discuss job opportunities.

Conference highlights include a special strategic session on Saturday with career expert Virginia Clarke, author of “Career Mapping: Charting Your Course in the New World of Work.” Clarke, an expert in talent and career management, diversity recruitment and executive coaching, is founder of Talent Optimization Partners, LLC. She is widely respected as a thought leader and practitioner of recruitment and retention strategies.

Also on Saturday, H Walker, Director of Education, McDonald’s Global Inclusion & Intercultural Management (GIIM), will be the keynote speaker for the NBPRS Network Luncheon. An expert in the field of global diversity, inclusion, executive coaching and leadership development, Walker will share strategies for empowerment and personal mastery.

Tina Dugas, Senior Associate for Bloom, Gross & Associates Executive Search Firm, and long-time NBPRS supporter, will have dual roles. On Friday, she will be a part of a panel entitled “Recruit Me: Trends in Recruitment and Retention.” She also will be among honorees of the NBPRS Founders Luncheon on Friday.

The conference also will include a broad range of relevant topics, e.g., “Wired for Success: Embracing New Technologies for Successful PR Careers and Campaigns,” “How to Brand, Market and Protect Your Creative Destiny,” “Case Studies in Crisis Communications,” and “Crafting Messages That Move and Motivate Your Audiences.”

Communications and PR students will have their own track designed to help them network, and gain access and experience in the PR field.

Sponsors for the 2011 NBPRS Conference and Career Fair include Northwestern Mutual, Harley-Davidson, Edelman, Constituency Management Group, Business Wire and Black PR Wire, Inc.

For more conference information, visit www.nbprs.org.